Hi, All! New to CC so if a moderator needs to move this to another Forum, please also tell me how to choose the Forum. Hopefully this is in College Selection…
I’m helping my D round out her application list and looking for suggestions on schools she should research. It is so hard not being able to tour. Ugh. She is looking for that all elusive LAC that gives merit, but I’m open to all suggestions. I’ll give basic information about her but feel free to ask questions if you need more details.
GPA: 3.95 UW/4.83 W (Calculated by us. Per her transcript 100.81 W)
Will graduate with 8 APs (8-9 APs are the most allowed with her school’s class offerings)
Rank: Her school doesn’t rank but she is top 10% in a class of 120 at a prep school.
Her school uses Scoir so that is our resource for placement “chance” info.
EC: Strong leadership roles in areas of interest - performing arts, service, environment/conservation, school leadership & mentorship; unpaid staff for a fan-run multiplayer game (in PR dept; acted as internal project manager for the upcoming virtual (due to covid) conference); internships at univ vet clinic and city aquarium (She was originally interested in veterinary medicine.)
A bit about my D -
Introverted extrovert, socially active (left leaning), academically focused (with a like-minded friend group), not outdoorsy or sporty
We live in the south but she prefers cold weather and the “vibe” in the northern states.
We were able to tour some schools last year. She prefers small to mid LAC in suburban areas. She doesn’t mind the idea of Greek life but it is not a deciding factor either way.
Interested in pre-med… considering a major in Chem or Biochem with a minor (or at least classes) in Communications or Creative Writing. Would like opportunities to participate in theatre as an EC.
A bit of parental input -
We are letting our D lead this process and not limiting the schools she applies to (her target is 12-15). However, since she is interested in medical school (yes, that could change) we have had some frank conversations with her about finances. Our budget is around $200K. We do not mind her taking on some debt (honestly, even if medical school is off the table we don’t think a small amount is a bad thing), but we do not want her to have $300K of med school loans either. So while I’d love to say “choose your dream LAC and we’ll make it happen if you get in”, the smart move financially is to apply to the HC at our state univ (a safety school) and save the $$ for med school.
However, if she can get merit at a school she loves we will consider it seriously. After all, she could change her mind about med school or get weeded out in the prerequisites. And those college years are such a special time in life… we want her to be happy and thrive outside the classroom too.
Schools on her current list: state school, Furman, Wake, Davidson, UVA, W&L, Case, NW,…
@Eeyore123 Thanks for the reply! She really connected with a W&L admissions rep at a college fair last year. They communicate regularly so that has kept it on her list.
I’ll suggest those three. I believe the only one of those she has on her watch list is Oberlin. What are your thoughts on Lafayette or Richmond?
URichmond gives 75 1/3 tuition and 25 full tuition merit awards, I think. For LAC’s, I would really look at fit. I don’t think that there are many students that have W&L and Oberlin on their list. You must really be from the south. The only real northern schools that you have are Case and NW.
There are only 10 or so classes required to qualify for med school admission, so she shouldn’t limit herself to just Chem or Biochem, students in many majors can fit them in.
One thing she should be thinking about is why an M.D? When a lot of HS kids consider of a career in medicine it becomes “I’m pre-med!” and happily embark on a track that will take 11+ years of school/training plus enormous debt. Doctors are far from the only ones in the health field that help people. Physical therapists, radiology techs, nurses, speech pathologists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, to name but just a few as you can see on http://explorehealthcareers.org Maybe a M.D. is the right choice but until she’s carefully considered the alternatives and has spent time working in a health care setting (which is an unwritten requirement to get into med school) its better to think of her as interested in exploring a career as a doctor rather than someone who has made a decision.
Oberlin, Macalester, Grinnell, St Olaf and Denison come to mind. St Olaf and Denison have the highest merit awards, I believe. The first three will discount up to 50% off tuition, so about 25+ k. No Greek life at Oberlin or St Olaf, some Greek life at Denison, not sure about the other two.
For upper south, check out Rhodes or Centre. There was a poster many years ago whose daughter took a generous merit offer from one of these and then went on to Yale med school.
You will need to run the numbers to see if they fit financially - but check out Miami Ohio, Muhlenberg, American. Not in a suburb and not an LAC but take a look at Pitt. American isn’t suburban either but the campus has a cloistered feel to it so it’s not like being smack dab in the middle of a city like Temple/Northeastern.
D20 toured, interviewed, and applied at Lafayette. There were a lot of great things about the school. They have 2 different merit awards. The Marquis Fellowship is a more generous amount of $40k/ year but they give our fewer than 30 per year, and that is admitted students so a certain number probably choose to go elsewhere and that money doesn’t go to the next person in line. The other is the Marquis Scholarship at $24k/year. It is offered to 10% of admitted students but considering the sticker price, it may not be in the range of what you want to pay.
Take a look at Muhlenberg. They have an awesome theater program, Biochemistry major, creative writing minor and a similar vibe to Lafayette. They have some $30k merit awards and the sticker price is significantly less.
@Eeyore123 She has only narrowed it down to campuses she has visited… which as you see are in the south and great lakes area. Our college tour plans were changed by covid like so many others so she never made it to the NE, Midwest, etc. Which is one of the reasons I am on here. To help her narrow down the many she is researching and touring online.
As far as fit, I agree. Which is why I shared a bit about her personality and interests. So getting some real feedback on the vibe of the campus, student life and other things we may not find on the college websites would be helpful in addition to school suggestions. It is so hard when you can’t visit campus! I’m new to CC so maybe I didn’t make that as clear as I should have in my original post.
I did not include McGill but it is on her list too. She visited a few years ago. It is slightly to the north. Thanks again!
I agree that if you think she is a serious contender for med school, then yes, the HC at your state school should be your budget point: any LACs that she likes that have a comparable cost should be an option. But, bluntly, will she “love” a school that is not famous? a top student in a prep school may find it hard to trade status for $, which is basically the merit money trade off.
Also, I agree with @Eeyore123: the list you have doesn’t really align well with the characteristics you gave:
Northern ‘vibe’: I know that people in the Deep South consider Virginia to be practically north, but…you have no northern schools in there! NW (technically NU) and Case are upper mid-west, and the other 4 are definitionally southern.
Small to mid size LAC: So, UVa and NU are out
Left leaning, socially active: Furman and W&L are out
You might remind her that Admissions reps are salespeople, and that once she’s bought the car she will be dealing with completely different people.
@mikemac Agree with all of the above. I hope we have set those expectations with her, and I think she is fairly realistic… but she is 17 so there is that. Thank you for the links to more info.
Connecticut College and Trinity? Skidmore offers some merit aid too, though maybe not as much as some other LACs. Hobart also gives merit, as does Lewis and Clark in Portland OR.
@Eeyore123 you made me laugh out loud with your comment “I don’t think that there are many students that have W&L and Oberlin on their list.” I agree!
OP, my son and I visited W&L a few weeks ago and absolutely fell in love with it. (And we live in the north east, and we are very liberal).
Grinnell gives good merit, and I’d eat my hat if she didn’t get in there. Being from the south will help. She does not seem like she’d be a social fit at Washington and Lee, which has a very conservative-leaning student body. Same with Davidson, although a maybe a little less so. Muhlenberg would be a solid safety for her. Kalamazoo College is also a great school that would be a nice safety.
Would you qualify for any need-based aid? If so, look at Williams, Carleton, Middlebury, Bowdoin, and Colgate. Run the NPC. They all give great aid.
Things are so different this year due to Covid! Trying to think a bit out of the box, as she adds to her college list she could contact the admission office and ask if they can put her in contact with a current student for a zoom call to talk about items like this. They have student tour guides who aren’t giving tours anymore, but they might be willing to spend some time talking with a prospective student. A number of books and websites have suggestions for what to look for and ask on a college visit, she can use that as a base to form a set of questions she can ask.
Rhodes is one I’ve been trying to get her to take more seriously. Several kids from her school have gone there and the campus is beautiful. I believe someone told me the school works closely with St Judes for research and clinical opportunities (assuming she continues down the health field track).
@helpingmom40 Thanks for that suggestion. We will check out Muhlenberg. If we decide to look at Lafayette more closely I may reach out for more information.
Hopefully this is in College Selection…